'USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter' documentary to air on PBS

It was "just fate" that a teenager from Indy's Eastside sailed out on the famous ship named after his hometown. He ended up in one of the most horrifying tales of modern warfare.
Danese Kenon/IndyStar, Indianapolis Star

Overall of USS Indianapolis. Official U.S. Navy Photo. When the cruiser USS Indianapolis was sunk no one knew about it for four days. Hundreds of sailors died in the shark-infested waters until a Navy PBY search and rescue plane piloted by Hoosier Adrian Marks discovered the bodies.(Photo: HANDOUT PHOTO, INI)

A new documentary will air at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, on PBS that tells of the legacy and tragedy of the USS Indianapolis, which sank under Japanese torpedo fire in 1945.

The documentary follows a 2017 expedition of the research vessel Petrel into the Philippine Sea in search of the remains of the Indianapolis. Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen financed the expedition. The documentary also includes gripping interviews with survivors.

The story of the Indianapolis has been told and retold for decades. Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the Indianapolis, carrying 1,197 sailors and Marines, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The 610-foot-long heavy cruiser, on its way back to the Philippines after delivering components for the atomic bomb, was chopped into three sections, all of which were sinking.

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USS Indianapolis (CA-35), a Portland class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, was launched in 1931. She was flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruanc,e while he commanded the Fifth Fleet. The ship was sunk by Japanese torpedoes on July 30, 1945. Historical U.S. Navy photo

Lt. Adrian Marks, a resident of Frankfort, Ind., was present at a major tragedy in the final moments of World War II. Piloting a PBY, he was largely responsible for the rescue of 56 survivors of the cruiser USS Indianapolis. Marks is seen here, fourth from right, with his crew. Star Library archives

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, survivors of the USS Indianapolis sinking in the Philippine Sea by enemy action are being moved by stretcher and ambulance to a hospital, July 30, 1945. The cruiser suffered 100% casualties including dead, missing and injured. AP Photo/U.S. Navy

The body of a crewman of the USS Indianapolis is escorted to his burial by some of the surviving shipmen and men from the base at Peleliu in the Caroline Islands. August 15, 1945. Navy Department/National Archives